Feel
by Chiblets
Summary: *Yaoi* Sai has been homeschooled all his life, sheltered from real-life social situations and deprived of all sense of emotion. That is, until his senior year of high school where he meets the energetic Naruto Uzumaki...and his overbearing boyfriend Sasuke Uchiha. Something seems off about the two, but Sai cannot put his finger on it. What could be wrong with his new friend?
1. Intro

He often wondered what he did to deserve the harsh punishment inflicted upon him. Many days during his quiet childhood his father whipped him until he could no longer summon the energy to stand. What was worse was that if he cried or uttered a sound of pain he would be punished much more and often more painfully. What he also found odd was that his father only hurt him when he displayed some type of feeling. It was as if his father had been beating the very emotion right out of him. If that indeed was what his father wished to do, then his father succeeded. Eventually, the boy stopped whining and crying when he was hit. He still winced, but other than that his expression was completely void of emotion. He regarded happy events rather neutrally and his sense of child-like humor dwindled along with his ability to conjure anger at the appropriate moment. He couldn't understand sadness or any other feeling that was whipped right out of his head. Soon, the once carefree, joyful child was transformed into something like a machine, awaiting the orders of his heartless master. This didn't bother him though. He figured something about him must've been wrong if his father had felt the need to change him so drastically. Actually, the boy felt more content this way. To him it was much easier to go about life not feeling anything at all instead of being plagued by distracting emotions like other people. So he counted himself special, because he was so sure that no one else could be the way he was. Still, sometimes he wondered what it felt like to have such feelings again, for he could not recall his former self in any way. But when he wondered about silly things such as that he shrugged it off and went about his neutral ways. Besides, his father had often told him, "An emotional child is an annoying child." Knowing this, the boy tried not to be annoying and a burden to his good father. To do so, it was necessary for him to cast off all his feelings without a second thought, no matter what it cost him.

Presently, the boy, now a teenager, rested on his back on the floor of the room he called his own. He had a bed, but he could not seem to get comfortable on the old mattress and abandoned it for the floor, which oddly enough seemed to offer more comfort. Still, it was not quite enough to lull him into slumber. An odd feeling tickled his insides and caused him to shudder, leaving him in a state of confusion on his carpeted floor. Realizing he probably would not get to sleep anytime soon, he sat up and eventually rose to his feet. The teen stretched his long limbs and yawns, though he was not weary in the least. He crossed his room to the vanity desk by his closet and sat down upon the plush chair in front of it. His eyes scanned the surface of the desk quickly for something. Something very special to him. Finally, he caught sight of what he was searching for. The teen picked up his sketchbook and ran his fingertips lightly over the surface. He gently set it in front of him and reached for a pencil to sketch with. With an image already fixed in his mind, the teen opened his sketchbook to a blank page an quickly started drawing his chosen image. In just a few short minutes, the outline of a fox could easily be made out, and soon after that, the drawing was completed. The boy sighed and added a little bit more detail to the picture before closing the book. Silently, he sat for a while, deep in thought about the day ahead of him. That same odd feeling returned and rendered him confused once again. It was odd for him to feel something like that. He wondered why he felt something so foreign and strange. The next day was nothing special. He would just be attending a public school for the first time in his life after years of being home-schooled by his father. It was no reason to be…nervous? Yes, he believed that was the name of the feeling settling itself in his stomach. Shrugging off the feeling, he picked up another book that rested on the vanity and flipped through it. After skimming over a couple of paragraphs, he lifted his head and gazed at his reflection.

"Hello," he spoke softly, flashing his reflection a fake, very much practiced smile. "My name is Sai. It's nice to meet you." The teen extended his hand to the dark-haired, pale figure looking back at him. He acted out the action of shaking one's hand and then slowly pulled his hand back.

Sai looked back at the book to make sure he performed the action correctly. He nodded to himself in approval upon finding he did and continued to quietly make small talk with himself until finally, somewhere around one or two in the morning, he dozed off, forgetting for a moment about the day to come.


	2. Day 01-Morning

He awoke with his nose buried, literally, in the pages of his self-help book and was feeling groggy, having only had about four or five hours of sleep. Sai lifted his head and rubbed his tired, half-opened eyes, frowning when a realization hit him. It was the day. This was the day that he going to actually attend school. The concept momentarily filled him with child-like excitement, but almost as soon as the feeling came it vanished as though it hadn't existed at all. He then sighed and rose to his feet. Hardly any thoughts filled his weary mind as he went through his daily routine of getting ready for the day. By the time he was finished, Sai was dressed in a pair of regular, slightly clingy, blue jeans and a black, long-sleeve turtleneck sweater. His hair was neat as always and he smelled relatively well since he'd just showered and had help from the bottle of cologne he barely used. He looked himself over in approval before gathering his book, schedule, and messenger bag. Sai folded his schedule and placed it in the cover of his self-help book so it would not become lost. He then took a deep breath and exited the comfort of his room.

"Danzo…?" he said when he entered the living room. His father looked up at him from the couch and raised his eyebrows in question. "I'm going to class…"

Danzo nodded and waved the teen away. "Alright, you know the way, don't you?"

"Of course, sir," Sai responded quietly and stayed in place, holding his book and bag close to him.

Danzo, seeming irritated, shot Sai a look and snapped, "What are you still doing here? Get going!"

"Yes, sir…" Sai turned and left his home, staring ahead blankly. He felt disappointed as he walked down the empty sidewalk. He had been hoping he would receive some sort of encouragement from his father, but the boy had only succeeded in making Danzo cross with him. The teen sighed lightly and pushed down his disappointment, finding it completely pointless to wallow in. If Danzo had not given him any encouragement, then it was obvious that he did not deserve it. Sai clenched his fist and picked up his pace. Though Danzo's lack of encouragement made him feel a bit worthless, it also made the boy want to try harder. Determined, Sai walked even quicker and kept his fist clenched.

In a time span of twenty minutes, Sai finally arrived at Saint Monroe High School. Nervousness tickled his insides as the massive building loomed before him. He cautiously approached the school and entered through the front entrance among a babbling group of girls. Sai scanned the area he figured to be the lobby and ran his gaze over the many groups of teenagers occupying the space. He felt a bit unnerved by the quantity of people and decided it would be best if he didn't mingle. Silently he maneuvered through and around the groups of people until he finally arrived in one of the almost empty hallways. He figured that it would be a good time to look for his classes. Sai slipped his folded schedule out of his book and held his book under his arm while he unfolded the paper. Rapidly his dark eyes looked over the four classes ha had for the first semester and noted the classroom numbers. After doing so, he began walking the halls in search for the first class he would have. It wasn't long before Sai found that he was lost in the maze of hallways. Sighing, he supposed that he should ask someone for guidance through such a complicated labyrinth.

Sai searched the hall he was currently in with his eyes, hoping to find a person who could help him. He was relieved when he found someone quickly he could talk to. A short, blond male stood in front of what Sai supposed was the boy's locker, apparently having trouble with the lock that kept it shut. The blond had his back turned to him, so Sai could not presently make out any facial features. For a moment, Sai watched the boy, not sure how to approach him with his inquiry. The blond groaned and rested his head rather harshly against the locker, seeming frustrated. Sai blinked at the teen's actions and was a bit curious about them. He decided he wouldn't worry about that for now and taking a deep breath, Sai slowly approached the irritated teen. Hesitating, Sai cautiously reached out and tapped the blond teen lightly on the shoulder. The blond squeaked and whipped around to face him instantly, looking absolutely furious, though Sai couldn't understand why.

"Sasuke, what the hell did I tell you about-?" he started hotly, then immediately stopped himself from snapping when he realized that Sai was not this "Sasuke" he spoke of. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! I totally thought you were someone else!"

Sai blinked, taken aback by the blond boy's behavior, and resorted to his trusty book to aid his response. He searched through the book until he came to the appropriate section and then read a few paragraphs. He then looked over his book at the short blond and faked a smile. "Oh, it is alright. I was actually hoping you could assist me with something," he glanced back at his helpful book and then shut it.

The other teen seemed confused by Sai's display but nonetheless smiled kindly at him and nodded. "Of course. Hey, aren't you that new guy? The homeschool kid?"

Sai gazed at the teen in front of him in bewilderment. "Yes…but how did you know that?"

The boy chuckled at Sai's bewildered state. "Last year a teacher was talking about some homeschool guy coming to graduate with us this year," the boy explained, his expression amused. "I'm Naruto, by the way. Naruto Uzumaki."

Sai nodded, understanding the explanation, and slowly extended his hand to Naruto, suddenly feeling very shy. "Um, I am Sai."

Naruto shook Sai's hand and raised an eyebrow at him. "Just Sai? No last name or anything?"

"Just Sai," he replied and stood there rather awkwardly. Sai was unaware of when to let go of a stranger's hand after introducing yourself and being in a situation where he could not physically turn to his book, he continued to grasp the blond's hand.

"Alright then," Naruto mumbled and glanced at their hands, nervousness flitting across his gaze. "Um, you can let go now, dude."

"Oh," Sai instantly released Naruto's hand and took a moment to look over the blond's features. It was already determined that Naruto's hair was blond, but upon further examination Sai could see that it was teased quite a bit in the back, causing the other teen's hair to spike slightly, but his bangs and the hair more toward the front were straightened, most likely with a flat iron. It was a good look for him, Sai decided and moved his gaze to study Naruto's eyes. The color of Naruto's eyes were a startling deep blue that held trace of a variety of emotions; many of which Sai could not recognize. Unnerved, Sai allowed himself to study the other teen's soft, almost feminine features. There was a word for people with appearances like Naruto's. After taking a bit longer to study Naruto, Sai racked his brain for the correct term for Naruto. He lightly bit his lower lip in thought and tried to recall the word that described people like Naruto. Sai finally gave up trying and sighed in defeat. It would come to him eventually, and if not, then he'd just have to do some research later.

"It's cool; there's no need to apologize," Naruto said, breaking the silence between them. "Now what did you need help with again? I don't think you ever told me."

Sai held out his schedule to Naruto. "I was wondering if you would kindly show me where these classes are."

"Hm," Naruto too the paper and quickly ran his gaze over the schedule. "Oh! Yeah, of course! Looks like you have a couple classes with me, so I'll be seeing you around more. Awesome."

"Really? So you can help me?"

Naruto nodded excitedly and grinned at Sai. "Yep! But before I do, I kinda need to get some notebooks out of my locker…but my boyfriend changed the combination so it might take a bit."

"That is fine," Sai tilted his head and looked at Naruto questioningly. "Why would he do that…?"

The blond sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't even know. He's just mean sometimes," Naruto grumbled and looked begrudgingly at his lock. "He really pisses me off when he does this…"

"Oh, would you like me to assist you…?" Sai offered tentatively, moving his line of sight to the combination lock. "I believe I could get it open for you."

Naruto didn't seem convinced, but since there was no way he was going to get it unlocked himself, he stepped out of the way so Sai could get to work. Sai approached the locker and quickly began the task of figuring out the combination. He didn't have much trouble, having experience unlocking combination locks. Sai rapidly recalled what his father had taught him about these kinds of locks and in a shot span of time the lock popped right open for him. Sai backed away from the locker and glanced at Naruto, who was regarding him with a look of amazement.

"Wow! That was awesome!" the blond squealed energetically, his blue eyes filled with wonder. "Thank you so much, Sai!"

Sai felt a slight flutter in his stomach at the praise and wondered about it for only a brief second before pushing it aside. "You are welcome," he said in a quiet voice, a bit overwhelmed by Naruto's excitement. Just watching the hyper blond teen made Sai feel exhausted.

Naruto grinned and turned back to his locker, taking out a couple spiral bound notebooks. Sai let his gaze travel the length of the hallway and raised his eyebrows as he caught the arrival of another teen. This teenage boy was only a tad shorter than Sai, but still taller than Naruto by at least a couple of inches. The boy's hair was jet black and extremely fixed up in the back to spike, contributing to the punk appearance he adorned. Sai could only wonder how long this male spent to get his hair in such a state and found it ridiculous to focus so much attention on hair. He merely shook his head in dismay and continued looking at the stranger, noting the pale tint of his skin. Sai was set on edge, though, when he took notice of the cold, rather dangerous glint in the pale teenager's onyx eyes. It made him feel much more uneasy when the other teen seemed to be heading in him and Naruto's direction. Sai watched as the stranger approached Naruto from behind and snaked his arms around the blond's shoulders, allowing a smirk to occupy his features. Naruto gasped and his cheeks flushed a scarlet color at the contact.

"Good morning, Naruto," the stranger greeted and then whispered something in Naruto's ear that Sai couldn't quite catch. Sai figured it was bad and also equally embarrassing because the blond's face darkened while his sapphire tinted eyes shone with what Sai could only peg as horror. The stranger chuckled softly at Naruto's reaction and fixed his intimidating gaze on Sai, frowning. "Who's your friend…?"

Naruto squirmed out of the pale one's grasp and nervously stood beside Sai. "Um this…this is Sai. He's new here and needs help finding his classes, so I thought I'd show him around," he responded quietly and gestured to Sai while flashing a somewhat forced smile at the new addition to the group.

"Oh," the stranger said simply, studying Sai in a clearly disapproving manner. This didn't really affect Sai that much since he was already used to this look. "I see. I was hoping you could accompany me to class, but seeing as you have your hands full I suppose another time then."

Sai ignored the dirty look he was receiving and glanced at Naruto discreetly to see how he reacted to the presence of this disturbing young man. What he saw he found odd. Naruto's arms were crossed tightly over his chest, his hands gripping his notebooks and his fingers raking over them in a fidgeting manner. Naruto would not meet Sai or the other one's eyes and upon his face was what Sai could only peg as a look of discomfort. The blond's foot was tapping rather quickly against the floor and the faster his foot got, the more he clawed at his notebooks. Of course, these details were not noticeable unless one was to really look at the blond, as Sai was doing. Based on these traits Naruto was exhibiting, Sai recalled what he could about reading body language and came to the conclusion that his new…friend…was quite nervous. Now Sai could not possibly understand why this was, but he would find out as soon as the opportunity revealed itself.

"I'm sorry then…," Naruto mumbled and bowed his head so he wouldn't have to look at the stranger. "Like you said…we can another time."

The pale one placed a hand on his hip and raised his thin eyebrows at Naruto. "Well, are you doing anything this afternoon, dobe?"

Sai watched as the blond's cheeks colored with embarrassment. "Yeah, I am."

"Like what?"

When Naruto didn't respond, Sai began to get somewhat worried and thought only briefly about asking what was bothering him. But something held Sai back from doing so and he remained quiet as he observed the scene unfolding before him.

"Oh, I see," the stranger sneered. "You're still going through with that shit? What's the point? It's not like you're actually going to accomplish anything."

Naruto immediately lifted his head and a shine of defiance flickered across his eyes. He took a deep breath and seemed to be fuming as his features became furious. "Look, I'm not in the mood for your degrading bullshit. Go be on your period somewhere else."

The pale stranger rolled his eyes and gave Naruto a dangerous look before scoffing and then storming off down the hall. Sai noticed then that Naruto's fierce demeanor diminished in that instant, leaving him to look nervous once again. But when the blond realized he was being studied, he put on a smile and patted Sai on the arm.  
"C'mon, let's go find your classes," Naruto said and looked back at Sai's schedule.  
Sai nodded and was grateful that his…friend…was going to such lengths to assist him, but Sai was rather curious to know something and thought it best to ask now. "Naruto…who was that? I did not catch his name…"

"Oh, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Brooding?" the blond sighed and seemed slightly irritated by the mention of the one who'd just left. "That's Sasuke Uchiha, my boyfriend. Please forgive his rudeness…I've been trying to get him to be nicer to people."

"That is alright," Sai responded, making note to be wary of this Sasuke character. "Does he make you nervous…?"

Naruto shook his head a bit too soon after the question was posed and impatiently motioned for Sai to follow him as he quickly started down the hall in the opposite direction that Sasuke had went. "So I see you have art for your first period. I assume you enjoy the arts?"

Sai fell in step with Naruto and gave a slight nod in response. "I suppose so. It is a rather interesting subject."

"That's cool. I have to agree with you there," the blond glanced at Sai. "What kind of art do you do?" he asked, seeming genuinely interested in the subject.

"I sketch a bit, sometimes I even do paintings, but not too often," Sai informed Naruto and moved his blank gaze over a few paintings upon the walls. "Do you partake in any sort of arts?"

Naruto chuckled, apparently amused by the inquisition. "I'm definitely no artist…I couldn't draw a straight line if I tried! What's sad is that's true even when I have a ruler."

For some reason, this reply produced an odd sound from Sai. It caused his lips to twitch something into a smile and it made his stomach flutter a bit. Confused, Sai started to resort to his book for answers when Naruto took hold of his wrist. Sai flinched on instinct and tensed up, immediately removing his captured wrist from Naruto's grasp while he looked at him questioningly.

"Calm down, Sai. You just giggled, no need to freak out," Naruto briefly gazed at the book held in Sai's hand and then shot Sai a warm smile. "You must not be very social to need a book like that."

"I-I suppose not…I apologize," Sai fumbled over his words and noticed the heat rising to his own cheeks. It put him in a state of discomfort and he opened his book to assist him during his time of awkwardness. He skimmed the book in haste, but during his slight panic he could not seem to focus on the words that were meant to help him. "Uh…I…I…"

"Sai," Naruto spoke, causing the dark haired teen to become a tad more flustered. "Hey, look at me."

Sai did as he was told and it was only then when he realized that they were no longer walking. Instead, they stood in the hall, not moving. Naruto reached over and closed Sai's book.

"Just breathe, dude. I'm not judging you or anything," the tan individual stated with a broad grin on his face. "I'm guessing you haven't been in contact with a lot of people, since you were homeschooled and all. Don't you worry, I'll help you out and set you up with some nice people."

Sai nodded and returned to his neutral demeanor, tucking the book under his arm as they began walking again, feeling reassured by Naruto's words. It wasn't long before they made it to Sai's first classroom. Nervousness churned in the pit of his stomach as he and Naruto stepped through the door. Naruto smiled as he led them to the teacher's desk, an air of confidence seeming to surround the blonde.

"Good morning, Ms. Yuhi," Naruto happily greeted the brunette woman, leaning over and resting his elbows on the desk.  
She glanced up from her paperwork at him and sighed tiredly before allowing herself to smile. "Good morning, Naruto. What brings you here?" Her maroon tinted gaze then flickered to Sai. "And who's this? A new student perhaps?"

Naruto gestured to Sai and nodded. "Yep! This is Sai, Ms. Yuhi. He's going to be in your first period and I thought I should introduce you two before I showed him to his other classes."

Ms. Yuhi raised her eyebrows at Sai and smiled at him. "Welcome, Sai. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kurenai Yuhi, but you address me as Ms. Yuhi during school hours."

Sai faked a smile at her in return. "Of course, ma'am. It's nice to meet you as well, Ms. Yuhi."

The teen's first period instructor looked to Naruto and then glanced at her watch. "You know what, Naruto, the bell is about to ring. I'll help Sai to his other classes when the time comes. You just head to your class so you're not late, again."

Naruto blinked in surprise and looked to Sai apologetically. "Damn, I'm sorry…I thought I'd have time."  
"It is ok. Thank you for at least doing this much for me," Sai said and then waved Naruto off. "I shall see you later."  
"Right! Oh! For lunch, meet me in the lobby! 'Kay? Cool! Bye!" Naruto quickly sputtered and exited the classroom in a hurry. Sai was slightly amused by the sight and that strange sound called a 'giggle' emerged once more. This time, he did not feel so bothered by it, though it was still very unfamiliar to him.

As Ms. Yuhi had said, the bell soon rang and Sai took a deep breath before he sat down, not necessarily nervous anymore about getting settled in his new environment. His gaze traveled to the clock hanging above the door and he noted something:  
There were three hours and thirty minutes exactly left until lunchtime.


	3. Day 01-Lunch

The ringing of the lunch bell startled Sai slightly as the students around him immediately jumped up and filed out of the classroom in a not so orderly fashion. Sai let out a breath of relief when everyone was gone and took his time gathering his belongings before strolling out of the class himself. To be truthful, this was something that Sai was very nervous about. He'd read about school lunches, and from what he'd read he knew they were loud, rowdy, and being social was key to surviving them. Problem was that Sai had none of these traits. Briefly, the teen thought about skipping out, but the growling of his stomach made him decide otherwise. With a soft sigh, he slung his messenger bag across his body and meandered out of his class to head to the lobby for his rendezvous with Naruto.

Sai's belly stirred with hunger and nervousness as he came out into the lobby. He stopped and ran his gaze across the space in search for his new friend. In the middle of his search, his arm was taken hostage by a stranger and he found that he was being pulled toward the cafeteria. Sai gasped in surprise and squeaked, instantly turning his sight to a rather short, pink haired female pulling him along.

"Excuse me…?" Sai quietly spoke to the girl, uncomfortable with the physical closeness between them. "May I ask what you are doing with my arm…?"

The girl sighed and glanced at him. "Naruto asked me to come get you. Sasuke was being a drama queen again and Naruto had to go ahead and save the table for us." She frowned and seemed to be utterly disgruntled. Sai was not sure if it was because of Sasuke or himself, but he decided not to ask. He'd read that women could be dangerous, emotional creatures. He didn't want to take a chance.

"Oh, I see. Thank you…," Sai responded and tilted his head questioningly at her. "What is your name…?"

"I'm Sakura Haruno," she introduced herself and smiled up at him. "And I assume you're the Sai that Naruto told me to get?"  
Sai nodded and faked a smile at her. "It is nice to meet you." The teen frowned and bluntly posed his next question. "I have never associated with a female before. Are there any certain requirements for doing such?"  
Sakura briefly gave him a strange look and then giggled. "You really are awkward. I thought Naruto was just exaggerating!" She eyed him playfully and seemed very amused by Sai's social deprivation. "Well, first off, when dealing with women there are certain things you do not do."

"Like what?" Sai asked her, quietly.

They entered the cafeteria and Sakura led them over to a table occupied only by one. This one was the dangerous looking Sasuke that Sai had encountered earlier. Sakura released Sai's arm and took a seat across from this Sasuke character, nodding in greeting to him before patting the empty space beside her. Sai awkwardly sat down next to her, ignoring the look he was getting from Sasuke.

"Like being sexist. Women hate things like that; it really puts them in a mood, myself included," Sakura informed Sai, looking rather serious. "So when speaking to a woman, do not talk to them as though they are inferior. That's when their eyes turn red and they go savage."

Sasuke let out an amused snort, but Sai couldn't see what was so amusing about this. Being a gullible one, he absorbed every word carefully and seriously. Sakura kept up her act and narrowed her eyes.

"But it gets worse…when angered, women grow these sharp, monstrous, bloodsucking fangs and they drain all the blood out of your body. Then…then they take your lifeless body and bury it where no one will ever find it," she went on, causing Sai to become reluctant about ever associating with women. "Women then proceed to erase your existence from the minds of everyone you know."

Sai opened his mouth a bit to say something in response, but after seeing the look on Sakura's face, he remained silent. Sasuke snorted once more and at this, Sakura grinned. Sai blinked in confusion and made a point of scooting away from Sakura, nervous at the explanation.

"Sakura, what did you say to him? He looks terrified…," Sai heard and turned his attention to the familiar voice. Sai let out a small, relieved breath when he saw that it was Naruto joining them. He felt rather uncomfortable seated with strangers…especially since a female was among the people in this small group. So it was reassuring to have Naruto there, though Sai did not know him particularly well. Actually, Sai only knew the blond's name and the classes that he had with Naruto. If Sai was going to make this friendship work, he knew that he'd have to try and learn more about his new friend.

Sakura giggled and grinned widely at Naruto. "Aw, I was just joking around with him. I didn't think he'd take it seriously."

Naruto rolled his eyes at his pink-haired friend and sat next to Sasuke, setting his lunch tray in between them. "Ya know, you're ridiculous sometimes! You need to apologize to him."

"Fine, I will," Sakura sighed and turned to Sai, looking extremely apologetic. "Hey, Sai, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you all that stuff. It's not true; I was just joking with you."

"Oh…," was all that Sai said in response at first before realizing what he needed to say next. "It is fine." He nodded and glanced at Naruto, who was giving him an encouraging look.

Sakura smiled at Sai and nudged him in the side. "So, what are ya?"

Sai, genuinely puzzled by this question, tilted his head as his features clouded over with confusion. "Am I what…? I do not understand…?"

"Sakura, c'mon now, don't start this," Naruto groaned and shook his head in dismay.

"What? It's an honest question. I have a right to ask," she said and then stuck her tongue out at Naruto childishly before turning her gaze back to Sai, who was still confused. "Alright, are you gay?"

"I suppose," Sai mumbled quietly. "I'm not sure what that's like though…"

"What do you mean you're not sure?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "You're either gay or you're not."

Sasuke scoffed and spoke up for the first time since Sai had arrived at the table, "I don't think he knows what it means."

"Does it not mean happy? I'm quite sure that's the definition for the word, unless you're using it in another context. Then it may mean colorful, or bright," the awkward teen immediately retorted, feeling quite proud of himself.

"Oh so you wanna be a smartass?" Sasuke growled, scowling and narrowing his eyes angrily at Sai. Sai shrugged and that seemed to only irritate Sasuke much more. "Look, asshole, she was asking if you were a homosexual."

Naruto elbowed Sasuke in the side and muttered, "Be nice. He's new, and socially awkward. He was just saying what he knows. Sai wasn't trying to be mean."

Sai watched as Sasuke's agitated gaze shifted from him to the blond seated beside him, his expression not once wavering. It was strange. Sai had thought that lovers looked at each other different, or so he'd read. But seeing the way Naruto and Sasuke acted, Sai had to question what he'd read.

"Whatever, you just have to be nice to everyone. Don't you, Dobe?"

"Yes, is that a crime?" Naruto spat at his boyfriend, his cheeks tinting pink with what could either be embarrassment or anger.

Sasuke smirked and much to Sai's surprise gently grasped Naruto's hand, letting down his dangerous demeanor long enough to lovingly raise the blond boy's captured hand to his lips and place small kisses on Naruto's knuckles. Sai was puzzled by the strange actions and watched them, not being very discreet about it. He wasn't leaned over the table in their space, but he wasn't just taking glances at them. Sai was full on staring, and was oblivious to the fact that this could possibly make people write him off as creepy. Sakura cleared her throat upon noticing this and gently nudged Sai in the arm. Sai blinked and turned his attention to Sakura, fake smiling at her.  
"Yes?"

Sakura raised her eyebrows at him and whispered, "I wouldn't stare at them while they're having a 'moment'. Besides, if you are going to look, do it in a less creepy way and take quick glances."

Sai nodded, thankful for the advice and continued to sport his fake smile. "I appreciate it the tip, Sakura."

At this, she smiled at him. "Really? Cool. So about my earlier question…?"

"Oh, the one about my sexuality?"

"Yes," Sakura nodded, eyes lighting up with curiosity.

Sai contemplated this for a while, but couldn't seem to come to a conclusion. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought and tried his very best to come up with something to tell her. Something that wouldn't make him sound like an idiot. But in the end, he ended up saying, "I do not know. I've never been in contact with other people." He shrugged. "I suppose I do not have one for now."

"Ah, I see. It's strange, but don't worry!" Sakura grinned at him, giving him a light punch in the shoulder. "We'll figure it out! On the bright side, if you're gay, then I can be your fag-hag!"

"Uh…what…?"

Sakura giggled upon hearing the confusion in his tone. "A fag-hag. Have you never heard of one?" When Sai shook his head, Sakura let out a long sigh. "Alright, a fag-hag is a gay guy's best girl friend. She goes shopping with him, helps him get dates, and gives him advice. You know, stuff like that."

Sai, trying to wrap his mind around this new concept, nodded and stared at her blankly. "So…to have one is a positive thing correct?"

"Yep, it is," Sakura responded cheerfully. "If you decide that you are indeed gay, let me know. Being Naruto's fag-hag can get boring…," she then went on to whisper to him, glancing at Naruto.

"Why is that?"

The pink haired girl then sighed heavily and frowned. "Well for one, he's never able to hang out, except for school hours, and he's got Sasuke up his ass in one way or another."

Sai was genuinely confused by Sakura's final words and furrowed his eyebrows. "What does that mean…?"

For a moment, even Sakura was rendered confused. She stared at him for the longest time before realizing that Sai did not comprehend what she meant at the end of her statement. Blushing lightly, she scratched the back of her head and looked sheepishly at him.  
"Uh…well that's just a gay reference…maybe you should Google it or something," she then nodded, satisfied with her response to his question. "It'd be simpler to do that. Trust me."

"Oh," was Sai's simple statement. He made a mental note to Google the reference she had told him and discreetly turned his attention to the couple seated across from him. As Sai studied them, he noticed that they did not seem to be angry anymore. But something was not quite right. Sai was no expert with reading body language, but while Sasuke appeared completely at ease, Naruto came off as tense. Naruto's face adorned a smile, but it looked too familiar to Sai. It looked too much like his own, forced and untrue. Even as Naruto laughed at something insignificant that Sasuke most likely said, Sai could see that he was not happy. The teen did not know how he figured this, but he pushed it away and made up his mind to question Naruto about it sometime.

Naruto glanced at Sai and gave him a real smile as the bell rang to signal the ending of lunch. Sai nodded in acknowledgement and rose from his seat. The teen bid farewell to the trio and started to his next class, pushing away the many questions that now plagued his mind.


End file.
